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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Beware of Fashion-Conscious "Logo Bandit" in West County

In the St. Louis metropolitan region, there appear to be two types of bank robbers.

First, there are the traditional types who hit various branches in the city, clad in pedestrian bank-robbing garb like old-man masks, ski caps and McDonald's uniforms.

Then, there is another, higher class of robber who targets banks in more upscale neighborhoods in West County. Apparently, these image-conscious thieves take more pride in their appearance, donning brand-name threads before attempting to make their heists.

The FBI is now on the hunt for one of these sartorial swindlers, whom they've nicknamed the "Logo Bandit."

An FBI news release circulated yesterday asks citizens to be on the lookout for a possible serial bank robber operating in well-heeled areas of West County. Authorities believe the white male, 30 to 40 years old, is thought to have hit four banks since September, in each case wearing a baseball cap or clothing with some type of brand-name logo. Images on bandittrackers.com suggest that the logo is sometimes sports-related.

Three of the heists occurred in the last four weeks. The Logo Bandit, who is approximately 180 pounds and in the 6-foot- to 6-foot-two-inches range, is believed to have robbed the following banks:

In each case, the Logo Bandit did not use a weapon. If you have information, contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS. CrimeStoppers offers a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to a felony arrest.